Badminton racket



Feb. 23, 1937. J. B. DICKSON I BADMINTON RACKET Filed May 26, 1934 I I 1W Mm I E II .10 72 19.17; ckson,

Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BADMINTON RACKETApplication May 26, 1934, Serial No. 727,826

2 Claims.

The invention relates to rackets for the game of badminton, and oneobject of the invention is to provide a racket having adequate strengthand yet of light weight.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 isa front view of so much of a racket as is necessary to an understandingof my improvement, part of the handle and the bow and throat piece beingbroken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental detail section of the handle and hollowsteel rod.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l of a modified form of racket. I

In the drawing only a portion of the head is shown, the ends of the bowbeing indicated at l, the throat piece at 2, and the handle at 3, 4, thelatter providing the grip portion. This grip portion of the handle is ofwood polygonal in cross section. It may be covered by any suitableslightly yielding grip material Wound thereon, or otherwise appliedthereto. The portion 5 of the handle lying between the grip memberthereof and the head consists of a hollow steel rod, the wall of whichis comparatively thin, i. e., about 0.016" in thickness. This rodprovides a light weight, strong handle section. Most of the breakage inbadminton rackets occur at this handle section between the grip or handgrasp member of the handle and the head. This intermediate section, ifmade of wood, must be reduced in thickness to such an extent to keepwithin the limits of weight that strength must be sacrificed and hencebreakage occurs. With the hollow steel rod, however, a reduction inweight, in respect to the minimum of safety in the wooden handle sectioncorresponding to the rod 5, amounts to about of an ounce. This steeltubing is tapered at each end as at B. The upper end lies between thetapered or bevelled ends I of the bow, and extends into the throat piece2. A pin or screw 9, Fig. 1, extends across the joint between theseparts, and through the hollow steel rod at a point below the throatpiece, i. e., only through the ends of the bow and the intermediateshaft. Suitable wrapping is applied to the joint as shown at In.

At its lower end the steel tube enters the grip section of the handle,the length of its tapered part where it is held by a pin ll extendingthrough the grip member, the steel tube, and a ferrule l2.

In Fig. 3, instead of using the cross pin for holding the steel tube tothe bow and to the grip member respectively, I employ a sleeve l3 ofrubberized fabric glued to the wood of the bow and of the throat piece,and vulcanized to the steel tube. This rubberized sleeve is tapered toconform to the shape of the end of the hollow steel rod. It not onlyunites the hollow rod to the wooden parts, but also aids in uniting theends of the wooden bow to the throat piece.

The tapered ends of the steel tube are preferably counterparts of eachother, so that the tube may be turned end for end in making theassembly, so that either end may be used in connection with either thegrip, or the bow.

I claim:

1. A badminton racket comprising a head having a bow of wood, a gripmember spaced apart from the bow, and a connection between the bow andgrip comprising a single separate tubular metal rod and a cloth fabricsleeve connecting the said tubular metal rod and the wooden bow andunited to both.

2. A badminton racket comprising a wooden bow and a throat piece betweenthe bow ends which extend below the throat piece, and with a boreextending upwardly between said bow ends and into the throat piece, agrip member spaced apart from the bow, and a connection between thewooden bow and the throat piece and the grip comprising a singleseparate tubular metal rod having its end inserted in said bore andsecured therein by a cloth fabric sleeve having sufficient vulcanizablematerial to vulcanize it to the metal rod, said cloth fabric sleeve onits inside being vulcanized to said metal rod and on its outside beingadhesively secured to the wooden walls of the bore in the bow ends andthroat piece, and extending across the joint between them, and therebyreinforcing the entire connection by securing the ends of the bow andthe throat piece together as well as securing the tubular metal rodthereto.

JOHN B. DICKSON.

Bas c

